Oceans which occupy more than 70% of the earth’s surface are unlimited sources of renewable energy. It is estimated that ocean energy can provide upto 1,000,000 EJ of renewable energy per year; second only to solar energy has a resource availability of 3,900,000 EJ per year. However, out of this annual energy flow, only a […]
On April 14, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the National Perspective Plan of the Ministry of Shipping at the first Maritime India Summit held in Mumbai in which 42 countries participated. This Plan was titled, ‘Sagarmala’–a term which has now become synonymous with the maritime sector. It was first coined in 2003 by the […]
India has announced that its march towards developing the blue economy has begun and “India is on the brink of a blue revolution”. The Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways has stated that the government plans to invest Rs 12 lakh crore over the next ten years to develop 27 industrial clusters, and […]
Maritime India Summit (MIS) 2016 which is an endeavour of the Government of India to promote growth of the maritime sector in the country was held in Mumbai from 14-16 April 2016. Various initiatives such as port modernization, new port development, inland waterways, hinterland connectivity & multimodal logistics, international & coastal shipping, ship building, ship […]
Two high profile visits originated out of Sri Lanka in the first week of April: that of the Sri Lankan Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Kolitha Gunatilleke to India between 03 – 08 April and the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to China between 06-09 April. Arguably, the latter had a […]
The recent Maritime India Summit 2016 in Mumbai was the first ever large scale global maritime event hosted by India. It was also an opportune moment for the Indian Prime Minister to announce his vision of a ‘maritime India’ built around robust infrastructure to complement the hinterland development plans. The thrust of his speech was […]
As the geo-political region of the Asia-Pacific is witnessing competition among established players such as the USA and China, the South Pacific Islands have begun to receive more attention. This is especially so in the context of India’s maritime, economic, and diplomatic interests and aspirations. Despite the tyranny of distance from Eurasia the South Pacific […]
On 16 March 2016, Bangladesh Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan launched the coastal shipping service between Bangladesh and India at a ceremony at New Mooring Container Terminal of Chittagong Port. The Minister said coastal shipping was being implemented within a year of the coastal shipping agreement having been concluded during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Bangladesh […]
Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi on 02 March 2016, Admiral Harry B Harris, Commander, United States Pacific Command, exhorted that the ‘Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD)’ between India, Japan, Australia and the United States be re-initiated. He further urged India and US to be “ambitious together” and along with Japan, Australia and other […]
The 37th Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers (COM) Meeting was held at Pokhra in Nepal on 17 March 2016. It carries great significance as this is the highest SAARC level meeting to take place before the 19th SAARC Summit is held in Pakistan on 9-10 November 2016. The members spoke on – regional […]
During the ‘Raisina Dialogue’ held in March 2016 at New Delhi, Admiral Harry Harris, the Commander of United States (US) Pacific Command (CINCPAC) referred to the first ever tri-lateral (Australia, Japan and India) 1 ministerial discussions held in September 2015, which had addressed “maritime security – including freedom of navigation patrols”, and proposed “expanding this […]
The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Seas provides the legal framework for governance of the oceans and the seas within which, all activities must be carried out. Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ), are those areas of the oceans for which no one nation has sole responsibility for management. These include the ‘High […]